There is, recognises Sean Flynn, a change happening within Scottish cycling. Specifically, road cycling.
No longer is Scotland a nation that produces world-class track cyclists in abundance yet can only muster the odd high-level road cyclist every decade-or-so.
And not only does Flynn feel the shift happening, he’s part of it.
Earlier this summer, Flynn was one of two Scots who rode the Tour de France; Oscar Onley finished a remarkable fourth in the general classification (GC) standings with his Team Picnic PostNL squadmate, Flynn, a significant factor in his compatriot’s success.
These two men are leading a pack of Scots which also includes Callum Thornley, Elliot Rowe, Eilidh Shaw, Erin Boothman, amongst others, who are making Scotland a force to be reckoned with on the road.
Such a sizeable group of successful Scottish road racers, headed by Flynn and Onley, could well be, admits the 25-year-old from Edinburgh, a significant milestone for the sport in this country.
“There does seem to be more Scottish riders getting further up the ranks and I do think that's going to continue,” says Flynn.
“I feel like once the success starts, you get some momentum and Scottish riders start to feel like they can be a good road cyclist and they can make it.
“In the past, because there wasn't many Scottish riders who had done it at the very top level, it makes it harder to believe in yourself and believe it's possible to progress really far.
“But Scottish riders should definitely believe they can do big things and get all the way to Grand Tour level.
“I can imagine Oscar (Onley) doing so well in the Tour recently got quite a bit of attention in Scotland, which is brilliant and that hopefully will get more kids out on the roads on their bikes.”
This was Flynn’s second grand tour having ridden the Vuelta a España in 2023 but despite his previous grand tour experience, he admits now being able to call himself a Tour de France rider does feel that little bit different.
“Doing the Tour is the biggest dream for any road cyclist, so ticking that off was huge,” he says.
“The race really did live up to expectations. It's just so much bigger than anything else in cycling - it’s the only race that transcends the sport. And riding it, you could really feel that it was much bigger than anything else, which was pretty cool.
“The actual racing was hard but I was prepared for that, so that wasn't too much of a shock. There were some moments in the race that were tough, and that’s when you have to remind yourself that it's the biggest race in the sport, and it's all the very best riders in the sport so of course it’s going to be hard.
“The good thing for us is that as a team, we were doing well with Oscar in the GC and our sprinters riding well, so that definitely makes it a little bit easier because every day we had something to go for.”
Flynn has come off the Tour in the shape of his life - racing over 2000 miles over three weeks will do that - with a top-20 placing in the five-day Renewi Tour in Belgium last week an indication of his form. And when you add the mental gains that come from successfully competing a grand tour, it’s hardly surprising that Flynn heads into the final few months of his season with renewed enthusiasm.
On Tuesday, Flynn will be on the start line of the most prestigious road race in the UK, the Tour of Britain, with his fellow Scot, Onley, also in Picnic PostNL’s squad.
With Flynn desperate to capitalise on his current good form, he heads into next week’s race, which begins in Suffolk and ends on Sunday in Cardiff, confident he can make his presence felt.
And while it’d be easy to assume that a six-day race is considerably less taxing than a three-week grand tour, it’s not as straighforward as that, particularly when the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Romain Gregoire are on the start list too.
“I felt really good after the Tour - the fitness that I’ve gained is definitely carrying me through now,” he says.
“And mentally you get a boost from getting through the Tour because you know that that is the most stacked race of the year.
“I've not done any week-long stage races that are easy, though. What happens in the shorter races is there's fewer opportunities for people to make moves so the intensity of these shorter races can be higher than the grand tours. So it's still really hard.
“I'm really looking forward to the Tour of Britain, though - I really enjoyed it last year and this year I feel like I'm in good shape.
“I'll be helping Oscar (Onley) to hopefully win the GC and, personally, I'll hopefully have a few chances on some stages to go for it and see if I can get some good results.”
